Notebook: A ‘smart’ practice a day tries to keep the upset away

Four points separated the teams, and with the clock winding down, Nate Costa glanced up and took a quick peek.

One play later, the last before time expired, and with his team protecting a lead, Costa dumped a short, safe pass to Josh Huff; victory was secured.

That would be victory in a passing drill during Oregon football practice Tuesday, the kind of scenario Chip Kelly creates to keep the Ducks’ competitive juices flowing, lest anyone believe the team will slack off before facing Washington State on Saturday in Pullman, Wash., at 2 p.m.

In the “three-on-two” drill, the offense was awarded two points for a completion, with two “skill position” players running routes against three defenders, who could earn three points with a stop. With the offense up 40-36, Costa glanced back to see that only 30 seconds were left in the drill; he would take the final rep in the quarterback rotation, after the defense scored to get within 40-39.

The checkdown to Huff made it 42-39, and a win for the offense.

“That just tells you what this program is all about,” Kelly said later. “It’s based on competition. Smart, heady move by him. He knew what the score was.”

As Oregon fights the perception that a letdown could be looming this week against the lowly Cougars following last week’s dramatic win over Stanford, moments like Tuesday’s seem to show that the Ducks remain focused. Kelly has honed that by mixing his practices with a balance of competitive situations between the first-team offense and defense, and more routine work against the scout teams. Click here for the complete notebook.